


Assisted Reproductive Technology, or The ART of Science

by Tarlan



Category: Eureka
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, Canon Het Relationship, Drama, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 09:41:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/685525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the whole Founder's Day debacle, Jack really should have double-checked Fargo's investigation work on certain events in the new time line for himself. Perhaps then he would have also looked at his own past in this time line with greater care and attention to detail.<br/>With his marriage to Allison already on rocky ground following Grant's return to Eureka, the arrival of someone he previously believed dead causes even more marital strife. Yet all this is moot when Jack pulls off yet another daring rescue of scientists from an exploding laboratory in G.D., and unwittingly sets off a series of life changing events.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assisted Reproductive Technology, or The ART of Science

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art for "The Art of Science"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/687848) by [sunryder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunryder/pseuds/sunryder). 



> Written for MPregBigBang 2012/13  
> Takes place after the end of the whole series.  
> With many thanks to my wonderful beta **Aqualegia**

"Seriously, Henry? You're stepping down?"

Jack looked at Henry in shock because he had kind of gotten used to having Henry as the new head of G.D. since Grant took over the town. Not that Fargo had been that bad, surprisingly. In fact, it had always amazed him how easily they had all slipped into their new roles after returning from 1947 to find everything had subtly changed - or not so subtly in some cases, he thought, as he recalled Allison's shock and delight upon seeing her son, Kevin, no longer autistic, and Henry's marriage to Grace, a woman he had met for the first time only that day. Admittedly, it had been far easier on him as he was still the town's sheriff, living in the same smart house, though he'd had to get used to having an A.I. for a deputy instead of Jo.

"Not exactly stepping down," Henry stated. "More of a... sharing of responsibilities. I want to spend more time helping Fargo work with Holly's neural matrix to make sure she can't be hijacked again." He shrugged. "I can't do that and oversee every project in G.D. at the same time."

"Sharing," Jack repeated. "Like when Allison and... and Stark became joint heads of G.D. after Eva Thorne appeared?" Damn, why was it still so hard to say that name even after all this time?

Henry grinned. "Exactly. I can see the benefit of not having one person in sole control of G.D."

"So who... _exactly_ is going to be sharing the responsibility with you?" Jack asked, silently hoping it wouldn't be Allison even though she had been good at the job at the time. The problem was that he hadn't much liked how being the head of G.D. had changed her the first time round; though he also had to admit that he wasn't so enthralled with how marriage to him had changed her either.

There was a time when she found his confusion over anything _sciencey_ endearing - yes, he knew that wasn't a real word. Four months into their marriage and everything now seemed so different between them. Maybe it was just the pregnancy hormones but she had started to snap at him whenever he wasn't smart enough to fix whatever home device had stopped working, or when he really didn't understand some theoretical... something or other... or know how to switch on and use some weird device that she insisted would save time and effort around the house. The whole fiasco with the honeymoon hadn't helped either, and that was his fault. He'd heard her complain so often about needing a quiet place away from the insanity of Eureka and had thought Sheriff Cobb's old place outside of town was the perfect wedding gift - something they could build together - but maybe that was just his own private fantasy.

Except under duress, when the Virtual Reality characters tried to take over the whole of Eureka, she hadn't been back to the cabin since the honeymoon. She had cited a different reason each weekend even though he had given in to her demands for the ultra modern conveniences that only Eureka could provide, sadly stripping away much of the rustic feel of the place that had made it feel so warm and cozy. Even the log fire had been replaced by a holographic image. It just wasn't the same.

"Actually... I don't know, and I don't really care." Henry shrugged.

Jack blinked, realizing he had zoned out of his conversation with Henry. "You don't know who is going to be joint head?" Jack frowned. " _Why_ don't you know?"

He thought Henry of all people would be at least a little concerned or curious at having a second person making major decisions, and possibly countermanding his own orders. For all anyone knew it could be another person with their own hidden agenda, like Eva Thorne, or it might even be Grant. Just because Grant was now footing the bill for the whole town, it didn't mean he had no plans to take a more active, day-to-day role in Eureka's affairs. Joint head of G.D. would most certainly give him that greater control over... well... everything.

"What if it's Grant?"

Henry shrugged, giving Jack a regretful look. "I like Doctor Grant."

Having Grant around several times a week was wearing on Jack at the best of times, and the mere thought of having him hanging around on a daily basis was killing him.

Personally, he still found it a little hard to understand why saving Kim had created a paradox that threatened to destroy the entire universe, whereas coming back from 1947 with Grant had no adverse affect at all, except for them retaining the memories of their lives in the former timeline. Henry had tried to explain it but Jack could tell that even he wasn't completely convinced of the validity of his theories. After all, it was Kim's presence and actions in the new timeline that had caused the paradoxes that nearly ripped apart the universe, so why wasn't Grant's presence and his actions in _this_ timeline just as damaging?

To be honest, Jack would have liked any excuse to send Grant back to 1947 where he belonged, even if Grant had saved the town from being dismantled. After all, closing down Eureka might never have happened in the original timeline. He shook his head in despair and walked away, leaving Henry to his work.

Just to make his day perfect, he arrived home to find Grant's expensive car parked outside the bunker for the second time that week.

"Great," he muttered as he parked up and made his way down the steps. "SARAH? Door."

The door swung open with the sound of laughter filtering through from beyond. Jack steeled himself as he wandered into the main area, plastering a smile on his face and leaning down to press a kiss to Allison's cheek.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon." Allison gave him a polite but tight smile.

"Yeah, crime was slow today," he threw over his shoulder as he made his way into the kitchen area. "SARAH? Beer me," he stated, and took the ice cold glass from the dispenser, taking a welcome sip.

Allison gave him a less than happy glance beneath her fake smile. "I thought you were having dinner with Jo this evening?"

"I am. Wanted to change out of the uniform first, but I can cancel if you'd like?" He framed it as a question.

"No," she replied too quickly. "Trev... Charles and I wanted to discuss a few projects at G.D."

"Theoretical ideas beyond your comprehension, old man. Mitosis and super cellular regeneration," Grant added, looking smug when Jack grimaced, all of them aware that even the length of the words and the number of syllables gave him a headache.

"Where are the kids?" Jack changed the subject when he realized he couldn't hear either of them in the house.

"Kevin's on a sleep over at a friend's house this evening and Jenna is staying overnight with Diane."

"Oh."

The strained silence made him feel uncomfortable inside his own home so he went upstairs and changed quickly, pulling on faded jeans and an old, well worn sweater. He paused at the top of the stairs, listening to Allison's light laugh and realized that he hadn't heard it in his presence alone since Grant came back to the town with a wad of cash and a promise to keep the town going. The silence fell as soon as Allison spotted Jack's return. He moved to her side and gave her another obligatory peck on the cheek.

"I won't be late."

"Oh, don't worry. Stay out as long as you want. Charles and I have a lot to discuss."

"O...kay."

He said his goodbye and made his way back into town to Café Diem, slumping down into the seat opposite Jo. The one thing he least regretted about this new timeline was Jo's promotion to head of security at G.D. The job was perfect for her and it had removed that last small obstacle to their friendship - that of him having waltzed in to take over as Sheriff after Cobb retired when Jo had expected to get the promotion. Now they were equals. Of course that hadn't stopped her from teasing him like he was one of her big brothers.

"What's up?" Jo asked, and Jack shook his head, waiting until Vince had served a beer for him and something fancy, pink, frothy and alcoholic for Jo.

"Is that an umbrella?" he teased, gaining a glare from both Jo and Vincent.

Vince took their order, sighing heavily and muttering about uneducated palates and Philistines when Jack ordered a cheeseburger and fries as usual. Jo repeated her question once Vince had gone back behind the counter. "So, what's up, Jack?"

"Nothing. Long... boring day." He grinned wryly. "Where are the heat rays and homicidal robots when you need them?"

Jo leaned in. "Okay. Seriously. What's up?"

He sighed, wondering when he'd stopped being a mystery to Jo. "I must be getting smarter." Jo gave him a pointed look so he explained. "With Abby it took several years to realize my marriage was on the rocks, and several more before I stopped pretending I could fix it... and walked away." He dropped his chin to his chest and rubbed a hand over his forehead to massage away the tension headache that had appeared as soon as he got home earlier. "I guess I was in love with the _idea_ of being in love with Allison. The reality is..."

"Not the kind of love you both wanted?"

He looked up. "She's having my _baby_ , Jo. I can't just walk away from that." He shook his head. "And Kevin, and Jenna? You saw how far Kevin was prepared to go to make his uncle _like_ me." Jack sighed as he recalled the drug Kevin had manufactured and slipped into his food that had increased his intelligence just so Jack wouldn't look stupid to the rest of the Blake family with their multiple PhDs and high I.Q.'s.

"You think it was a mistake? You and Allison."

He scrubbed his hands over his face. "I think we worked better as friends."

"She might feel different after the baby's born."

"I don't know, Jo. If it hadn't been for the near death by drowning then I don't think we'd even _be_ married," he stressed. "She wouldn't set a date, Jo. Kept coming up with reasons to postpone the decision. Didn't even tell her family about me until after we were married." He reached for his beer and took a long swallow, letting the cold liquid hit the back of his throat and slide down in the hope that it might ease the heated knot in his gut. "I think Grant is showing her all the things she's missing out on with me. All the things she had with..." He couldn't bring himself to say the name at all this time, but Stark was often on his mind even though he'd been dead for almost three years. "Intelligent conversation, someone with multiple PhDs that she wouldn't be _ashamed_ to take home to the annual Blake family gathering. Hell, I'm even dreading the Family Christmas now."

He thought of all those times when Abby had dragged him along to her work-related events. _Death by Dull_ , he used to call them because he could barely understand one word in ten, feeling like the village idiot as they psychoanalyzed everything, including him. It was hardly surprising that Abby stopped taking him along after a while, or why she had a string of affairs with one boring know-it-all doctor after another while Jack buried himself deeper and deeper into his law enforcement work.

Jack saw the pattern repeating itself as he realized that he was already looking for excuses to delay going home each night; plus he missed the Allison who had been his friend. He missed their lighthearted fun, flirting and teasing, especially in the early days when Stark... He let that thought snap off, aware that thoughts of losing Stark still had the power to hurt him.

Jo punched him in the shoulder - hard.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Carter. We're a different kind of smart."

He smiled wryly, recalling Zoe saying the same thing to him once; street smart. Except the Astraeus mission selection process had proved Jo was book smart too. She just preferred not to focus on the science, and Zoe had misled him into believing she was average like him when in reality, her I.Q. was over forty-five points higher than his. He sighed; his genius daughter, who had lied to protect his feelings.

The food arrived and Jack changed the subject, deciding he'd done enough moping for one evening.

"You hear about Henry and Fargo?"

"I'm head of security at Global Dynamics. Fargo is ninety percent of my problems, and Henry the other ten percent, so of course I've heard about them."

"So who's going to be the new joint head?"

Jo looked uncomfortable. "That... I don't know."

Jack grinned, and together they discussed the impact of Henry's decision to share his role, before moving onto other subjects like Taggart's latest squirrel cloning experiment.

"I mean, who needs more squirrels for chrissakes!" he exclaimed. "And you know that is going to come back and bite us."

"In the nuts?" Jo added, earning a glare that had her openly grinning.

"And Seth's greenhouse plants look a little too much like Cannabis for my peace of mind." Jack waved his fork. "If I see an increase in potheads in this town, I'm going back over there with another flame thrower."

Zane joined them later on in the evening, eager to be with his fiancée even though he had to know Jack was no threat to his relationship with Jo. Jack had assured Zane on numerous occasions that he and Jo did not _have a thing_ , but Jack guessed it would take a while longer for the false memories implanted by Beverly's virtual reality program on the original Astraeus crew, to fade completely.

He left Café Diem much earlier than expected and was sadly not surprised to see Grant's car still parked outside. SARAH greeted him, and he felt a twist in his gut when he saw Allison and Grant seated several feet apart but with Allison looking flustered. It wasn't his first rodeo. It reminded him of the times he'd come home to find Abby and one of her male colleagues looking just as unkempt and guilty, before the day he eventually gave up pretending it didn't matter. That was the day he came home after a week tracking down a fugitive - cold, hungry, exhausted, and covered in grime - and walked in on her in their bed with another guy. He'd not bothered to unpack his bag and he had moved out that same day, sleeping on his partner's couch until he could find a place of his own.

Jack waited for Grant to leave, seeing him to the door with a terse smile before turning back to Allison.

"What's going on, Allie? Is he taking over as joint head of G.D.?"

"No... but he wanted me to know who is taking over."

"Anyone I know?"

"I-I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Jack," she admonished.

Jack nodded slowly, now more convinced than ever that the new joint head was Allison as he wouldn't put it past Grant to make that happen as part of the agreement for his multi-billion dollar company taking over the town. With everyone's careers and livelihoods beholden to him, he pulled a lot of weight in the town.

They went to bed with barely another word passing between them. When they woke the next day, Jack had another flash of that half-forgotten wormhole fantasy of Allison heavy with his child, and both of them so happy and seemingly so much in love. It only made him ache harder for a dream that was slipping through his fingers as he wondered what had gone so wrong between them in the real world.

***

Jack was in his office filling out a backlog of paperwork when the phone rang and he breathed out a soft, "Thank God," as he grabbed for the phone, eager for any excuse to put the paperwork aside.

"Go for Carter."

"You'll never guess who just signed in as joint head of G.D."

"Hey Jo. I'm having a great day. Nice of you to ask."

"Carter!"

He sighed, recognizing the tension in her voice. "Okay. Let me have it."

"Stark."

Jack actually felt his heart drop a beat in shock. "Stark?" He cleared his throat when the name came out hoarse and cracked.

"Yes. NATHAN Stark."

"I thought-. I-."

His brain seemed to have frozen. Stark was dead. Jack had been standing right in front of him when he was deleted from the time stream. Except that was another time stream, one that Grant had changed when he stole Jack's phone and returned with them to the present. But Fargo had gone through the archives and found the time loop incident, taking away Allison's hope that Nathan was still alive in this alternate universe, and though Jack hated to admit it, Fargo had taken away his hope too. Watching Stark die had been one of the worst moments of his life, perhaps hurting more than losing Angela in that fatal car accident all those years ago when he was just seventeen - though Jack had refused to delve into the reason why losing Stark had hurt so much.

Jo carried on; her voice holding a tone of both shock and awe.

"I couldn't believe it either. Fargo didn't look hard enough. Speeding up the photon to sync it back in time meant speeding up Stark too. The other Henry figured out how to slow him back down into our time stream. According to the files I found, it took him a month and by then everyone had moved on. Fargo had taken over as head of G.D. and Allison had changed her mind about the wedding, so Stark decided to leave Eureka... and fell off the grid."

"How does someone with an ego the size of a planet fall off the grid?" he snapped back, suddenly angry that he had spent the past few years in this timeline mourning a man who was very much alive.

"A secret government Think Tank, or another one of those special projects like Area 51?"

"Area 51 isn't that special," he replied, recalling the bowling incident.

Jack massaged his forehead in a vain attempt to ease the tension that was building into a massive headache. It was typical. Only Stark had ever had this effect on him, and he hadn't even seen the man yet. He groaned, suddenly understanding why Allison had looked so flustered last night. Maybe he had jumped to the wrong conclusion about Allison and Grant, thinking they had started an affair. Maybe Grant had told her that the man she had once loved and had intended to remarry - the man who had fathered her second child, Jenna - was not only alive but returning to Eureka in this timeline.

It would certainly explain why she seemed even more distant towards him this morning. Stark had always come first with her, and though Jack hated to admit it, he always would.

This was why Jack hated surprises, because they were rarely good things. Part of him was tempted to ask Jo to manufacture an excuse for him to head up to G.D., just so he could see Stark alive with his own two eyes, but he had a feeling that he would see Stark soon enough without looking for trouble. He ended the call with Jo and smacked his forehead down onto the thick pile of papers still gracing its surface, and that's how his deputy found him moments later.

Andy gave him one of his irrepressible grins before schooling his face to something that looked like concern. "Problem, Sheriff?"

"You could say that. All six foot four of it."

"Ah. You're referring to Doctor Stark."

Jack looked up. "Wait. You knew about Stark?"

"I've been monitoring an increase in communications since early this morning, all discussing Doctor Stark's return to Eureka."

The main reason Jack had believed Stark was _dead_ was because Stark had made no effort to contact Allison concerning Kevin and his biological daughter. So where had he been hiding?

"You have any idea where he's been for the past few years?" Jack asked.

Andy gave him a sad-looking, close-mouthed shrug. "Sorry. That information is classified beyond my level."

"And mine too, I gather," he added in a sour tone, though he hadn't exactly tried putting Stark's name into the G.D. search engine to see what else came up, having left that bitter task to Fargo. Trust Fargo to only do half the job as usual. "Where's Stark now?"

"Still at G.D. No. Wait. He's just passed through the checkpoint, heading into town." Andy smiled. "He should be here in ten minutes."

"Great," Jack murmured brightly, though suddenly scared by the very thought of seeing Stark alive and in the flesh again. He had all these messy feelings wrapped up in Stark and maybe he should have done something about that but having a shrink for an ex-wife hadn't exactly left him eager to share his feelings. And then there was Eureka's ex-shrink who'd turned out to be a double-crossing, enemy agent responsible for Kim's death and who knows what else.

Andy had learned not to take such remarks from Jack literally, offering him a commiserating smile instead.

I need coffee, Jack thought and turned to the machine sitting against the wall, cursing when he recalled that it had broken over a month back. He'd kept meaning to either get it fixed or replaced but it had been so much easier to take a walk across the street for the good stuff. Stark had no reason to seek him out, and he realized that if he was going to hide out here for the rest of the day then he'd better head over to Café Diem fast and pick up a Vinspresso right away. That way he could avoid Stark for a little longer. Maybe even stretch it to a full week if he was lucky or... 

He narrowed his eyes as Andy began whistling happily. Or he could just send his deputy for coffee. Jack shelved that thought immediately, quickly standing and heading for the door. 

"I'm going to grab a coffee. Back in a few." He didn't wait for Andy's reply in case he offered to go in his place. The last time he had let Andy grab him coffee, he'd ended up with a decaffeinated, low fat milk latte because SARAH had his deputy wrapped around her little... circuit board.

When he reached the café, Jack sighed in dismay at the sheer number of people who had also decided that this was a great time to grab a coffee and a meal, and it wasn't even midday. He thought he heard Stark's name mentioned, which was likely, as gossip spread through this town faster than the speed of light. Jack wondered if Henry had a theory to explain that. Shuffling from one foot to another, he debated on heading straight back to his bolt hole in the Sheriff's Office and trying again later in the day when the coast was clear, but Vince spotted him and smiled in welcome.

"Be with you in a moment, Sheriff?"

Jack gave a tight smile and a curt nod before glancing over his shoulder, looking through the plate glass window even though he didn't have a clue what kind of car Stark was driving. He doubted it would be one of those tiny solar eco-cars though, not sure if Stark could fold his six foot four frame into one of them. Maybe he should have asked Andy about Stark's car, he thought. Just as Vincent started to turn back to him, one of the Baker quadruplets caught the gourmet chef's attention, wanting to praise the meal Vince had prepared for him earlier - and Vince did so love to preen. Jack was about to give up and slip away when Vince caught his eye again.

"Coffee, Sheriff?"

"You read my mind."

Vince grinned. "One extra large Vinspresso coming up."

With a sigh, he started to relax. Seven minutes gone. He still had three minutes left to grab his coffee and slink back to the security of his office. He smiled in relief. He was going to make it. Less than a minute later, someone in the crowd pushed up behind him, touching him inappropriately with the brush of a hand over his ass and hip. Jack glanced over his shoulder to give whomever it was his hardest glare, and froze.

"Carter! My favorite sheriff."

Jack felt his stomach flip over at the sound of Stark's voice - all deep and warm and sultry. God, he only realized now how much he had missed that voice. Schooling his face into a mask of indifference, Jack fully turned around, all too aware of how close they were standing with barely a few inches between them. He had to look up to meet the taller man's eyes. 

"Stark. My least favorite scientist."

"Ouch, Sheriff, you can't really mean that."

Stark gave him that old, too familiar grin and Jack felt his insides melt just a little too much for his liking while he blinked back the tears prickling behind his eyes. He had to regain control but despite the aroma of food and coffee in the air all around him, he could make out the light scent of a familiar cologne teasing at his senses, mingled with something that was pure Nathan Stark, and it made him ache inside. He wasn't supposed to have missed Stark, and he certainly wasn't supposed to wish he could give in to the urge to reach out and wrap his arms around the man just to make sure this wasn't another one of the nightmares that had plagued him since Stark's _death_.

Stark gave him a curious look. "Miss me, Carter?"

"Hardly," he forced out, voice almost breaking, aware that Stark's casual words hit a little too close to home.

Stark's smile faded a little though his tone remained light. "Heard you finally got the girl... and a little Carter on the way too."

The brightness of Stark's words warred with the disappointment Jack could read in his blue-green eyes, and Jack knew Nathan had to be thinking of his lost second chance with Allison. He was tempted to rub it in but his relationship with Allison was so fragile these days that he knew it would only be tempting fate. He considered countering instead with a snide remark about absent fathers, but he hadn't exactly been there for Zoe during her early years, spending days and sometimes weeks at a time on fugitive hunts or protection details. Coming to Eureka had changed all of that, making him a better father, and making him regret how much of his daughter's life he had missed. It had made him hold on to her that much tighter, missing her now she had gone to study at Harvard.

For all he knew, Stark might not even be aware that he had a daughter with Allison. She had only discovered she was pregnant after Stark's supposed death.

Jack smiled, deciding not to antagonize Stark. He had missed out on Zoe's childhood and he really didn't want to be an absent father for this new child - and if he couldn't get along with Stark then there was a strong possibility that he might not have any say in the matter. He had to remember that, whatever decision the original Allison from this time line had made with her Stark, _his_ Allison's feelings had been far different. He knew that she had never stopped loving her ex-husband, playing that damn logic diamond message when she thought he wasn't around, and she had fully intended to remarry Stark that fateful day.

Jack sighed. With their relationship already strained by Grant's arrival in town, Stark might just be the catalyst Allison needed to end their broken and limping marriage. Certainly Jack knew he couldn't compete if Stark did decide to pursue Allison again, though he would try for the sake of his unborn child, just as he had tried to mend his marriage with Abby for Zoe's sake.

"Zoe's hoping for a sister," Jack went with instead, only then noticing the heavy silence that had fallen within the café as everyone watched him and Stark while simultaneously trying to pretend they were not looking and listening in at all. Stark noticed at about the same time and seemed amused by the interest. He used the silence to his advantage and ordered a Vinspresso, which was handed over very quickly along with Jack's.

Awkwardly, Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd best-."

"Let's talk in private." Stark indicated towards the street, and Jack sighed in agreement and took the lead, heading towards the station but stopping and tilting his head in confusion when Stark moved straight to a sleek, black car that hadn't been parked there ten minutes earlier. The Stark from Jack's timeline had loved expensive cars too, and it certainly explained how Stark had managed to get into town in under ten minutes, probably breaking the speed limit the whole way. Stark held the passenger door open for Jack.

Glancing over his shoulder, any hope of divine intervention rapidly faded as his phone remained ominously silent and the door to the Sheriff's office closed. Jack slid into the passenger seat and placed his coffee into the holder that popped out from the dashboard automatically. He snapped on his safety belt and turned to Stark.

"If I catch you going over the speed limit, I _will_ arrest you."

Stark laughed softly. "There. That's the Carter I know."

"You don't know me at all," Jack murmured under his breath as Stark gunned the engine, aware that this Stark would have left Eureka before the Founder's Day party and that trip back to 1947. He glanced across when the car remained motionless to find Stark staring hard at him, perplexed, as if he had overheard Jack's mumbled words and was trying to make sense of them.

Whatever thoughts were going through Stark's mind, he left them unspoken as he pulled away, heading out of town only just under the legal speed limit. It seemed this Stark was not willing to take a gamble on whether or not Jack would arrest him on his very first day back in town. Jack didn't have to wait too long to figure out where they were headed, finally ending up on the lake shore in almost the same place where they had stood shoulder to shoulder during the logic diamond-lava disaster.

Getting out of the car, Jack headed for the lake, his untouched Vinspresso in one hand and Stark's coffee gripped in the other. He felt the other man come up beside him and handed the second coffee over. They stood quietly together, the silence lengthening as they stared out across the lake while sipping slowly; Jack broke the silence first.

"So where have you been for the last few years?"

"Classified."

Jack snorted derisively. "So classified that you couldn't send Kevin or your daughter a card or an email?"

"Yes." Stark's voice sounded strained and, strangely, Jack believed him, even though that answered the question of whether Stark knew he had a daughter. If he hadn't known about Jenna then he would have reacted differently. Of course, Stark might have only just learned about Jenna for all Jack knew.

"So what now? You just waltz back into Allie's life? Try to pick up where you left off?"

Stark huffed out a laugh, taking another sip of his coffee before answering. "Hardly. She made it pretty clear last time around that I'd used up all my second chances." He looked away across the lake. "And... you know she's not the only one who moved on," he added almost too nonchalantly.

Jack narrowed his eyes as all of his U.S. Marshal instincts kicked in upon recognizing either a lie or a heavy case of denial. Stark may have left Eureka for a few years but that was the only moving on he had done. Someone still had a hold on his heart, and that someone could only be Allison.

"So you have zero interest in Allison, other than the kids?" Jack knew his voice dripped with disbelief.

"Believe what you want, Carter, but I have no intention of going after Allison and breaking up your happy little family." He turned to Jack and his face held nothing but cold indifference, as if he was rigidly holding his emotions in check. "And now, I really must be heading back to G.D. I'll give you a lift back-."

"Don't bother. I'll have my deputy come collect me." Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion as Stark had brought him a long way out of town just to say... nothing.

Stark looked as if he would protest but sighed instead. "Then I'll see you around... Jack."

Those words cut deeper than Jack expected, and he wondered if Stark had known that when he spoke them, or if he had simply wanted to gauge his reaction. Whatever Jack revealed unintentionally upon hearing those words had Stark narrowing his eyes in intrigue but, once again, Stark said nothing as he turned and walked back to his car. Jack heard the car start up and pull away, and he stared out across the lake for several more minutes before finally pulling out his phone and calling Andy.

While he waited, he sipped at the remainder of his coffee, focusing on the scene before him. He had a feeling Stark wasn't the only one shouldering a heavy case of denial but he wasn't yet ready to face up to how he felt about Stark's return. He wasn't sure if he ever would be ready.

***

"Doctor Stark is at the door," SARAH announced, and Jack frowned, placing his beer out of reach of Jenna's grabby hands. He glanced up the stairs for Allison, but could still hear the shower running.

Feeling his heartbeat quicken as he thought of Stark - partly in the undeniable pleasure of knowing it hadn't been a dream and Stark was alive and standing outside his door, and partly from the fear of what this meant for him and Allison - he moved towards the door.

"SARAH, door."

The door swung open immediately and Jack found Stark looking possibly as apprehensive as Jack, though it was harder to tell except for the slight flicker of his eyes.

"Jack," he offered in greeting, and Jack invited him in, aware of Jenna who had toddled over and was now hiding behind Jack's leg, peeking out at their visitor. He saw Stark's eyes lower and head tilt slightly to look at the child before he lifted his eyes back to Jack and took a step inside the bunker.

Jack gathered up the little girl, realizing that this was possibly the first time Stark had ever seen his daughter.

"Jenna, this is... Nathan."

He had almost said, ' _this is your real daddy_ ,' but was worried it would confuse the little girl when the only person she had ever known as her dad was Jack. If Stark was hurt by the lack of acknowledgment, and the way Jenna buried her face against Jack's neck, then he hid it well.

"Hey, Jenna," Stark offered softly with a smile; she peered out at him in curiosity, and Jack could tell by the way her fingers tightened in his t-shirt that she was smiling back shyly.

"Allison's upstairs..." Jack licked his lips nervously. "Coffee? Or a beer?" He indicated towards his own barely touched drink.

"Coffee... Please."

"SARAH?" Jack turned to ask SARAH to make a fresh pot.

"Nathan!"

At Allison's exclamation, Jack glanced up the stairs to see Allison hurrying down to greet Stark; she hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. Jack wasn't aware of his grip tightening on Jenna until she whined and squirmed a little, and felt a little guilty as Allison frowned and took her off him.

The rest of Stark's visit remained just as awkward for Jack as Allison fawned over Stark.

**

Stark had come over to the house a few times since then, wanting to get to know his daughter and see Kevin, and Allison had taken to teasing and flirting with him. Much to Jack's surprise, Stark had acted warm and polite but had not exactly flirted back. Instead, Jack had noticed Stark glancing across at him with the same intrigued yet closed expression that he'd displayed out on the lake shore earlier that week. He'd also insisted Jack stay during the visits, much to Allison's barely veiled annoyance, but she could always get Stark on his own at G.D. so Jack wasn't sure why his presence mattered so much to her.

Tonight was yet another visit but this time it was Jack who was annoyed. The house had become a little too hot in the evenings over the past month and Fargo had promised he would check over SARAH's environment controls tomorrow. Allison knew this, and yet when Stark mentioned it was a little warm, she quickly solicited his help. Of course, Doctor _I-went-to-MIT_ Stark was more than happy to oblige so it seemed churlish to mention Fargo now.

"Jack finds certain tasks around the home... a little too challenging," Allison remarked with a smile as Stark reprogrammed the environment control back to within normal parameters, talking as if Stark wasn't already fully aware of Jack's inability to deal with anything too technical - unless it required shooting it or hitting it with a baseball bat.

What surprised him was Stark's response and his matter of fact tone. "We can't all be rocket scientists. I'm sure Carter has plenty of other worthy talents."

Allison frowned at Stark's words. She hadn't expected Stark to defend him, and he still wasn't sure if he should be grateful for the support or angry that he'd needed defending to his own wife in the first place. It was just like Stark to throw his head into a spin, leaving him wondering if he was quietly being mocked.

After Stark left, Allison dropped the bombshell that Jack had been expecting all week.

"This isn't working between us, Jack. Especially now that..."

Her beautiful eyes flicked towards the door that Stark had just left through, and Jack didn't need to be a genius to understand. Her eyes were filled with sadness and Jack leaned forward to take her hands in his, knowing he could never measure up to Stark in her eyes. Perhaps if Stark had stayed away, he thought, but then he reminded himself that he'd felt the same inadequacies whenever Grant sniffed around Allison. Part of him wished he had insisted on continuing with Kevin's intelligence enhancer drug just so he could compete with the likes of Grant and Stark, but Allison had been right. He hadn't recognized the man he had become, and in hindsight, he hadn't liked that man either, and neither had Allison.

Jack sighed. He loved Allison with all his heart, and he knew she loved him but it was painfully obvious that she was not _in love_ with him and never would be despite the child they had created between them. He knew he wasn't in love with her either, simply going through the motions after Stark's death, partially because he had made a promise to Stark and to Allison to always be there for her. Perhaps they might have made it work in another reality, for a while at least, but in this one it simply wasn't meant to be.

"I know," he whispered, his voice breaking in regret.

"I don't want to lose you as a friend, Jack."

"Not going to happen." He squeezed her hands and offered her a wan smile. "You know I'll always be here for you, Allie. For you and the kids."

"Oh Jack." She leaned in and kissed him sweetly on the lips, but without passion. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

He knew he ought to feel hurt but, strangely, all he felt was the inevitability of this moment, and a strange relief that he and Allison would remain friends even if they couldn't be husband and wife. It was more than he had salvaged with Abby in those first years following their marriage break-up. Jack pushed to his feet.

"I can move into the cabin." He nodded towards the stairs. "I'll go pack a few things to take with me."

***

**A week later:**

Jack groaned as the smoke began to thin, coughing slightly as he slumped down against the wall. He'd managed to drag two scientists out of the debris of their laboratory, wondering again why this always seemed to happen whenever he was at G.D. He was beginning to think he was jinxed in some way. He coughed again, finding it hard to draw breath, and looked up as Stark crouched down in front of him.

"Sheriff."

"Star-." He coughed again.

Stark glanced over his shoulder. "Get him some oxygen."

Moments later, Jack was sucking clean oxygen into his sore lungs, expelling the smoke he had inhaled as he half-carried, half dragged the two scientists out of the lab. His hip and thigh ached from where he had struck some piece of equipment during a smaller explosion inside the lab, and his ears were still ringing. Worse was the pressure on his chest as he tried to suck in the oxygen.

"You know, we do have our own response teams, Carter."

He pushed aside the mask so he could speak. "Oh yeah? Then where... were they?" He coughed and frowned as Stark pushed the hand holding the mask back up to his mouth, holding onto his hand to keep the mask in place.

"Stop talking, Carter," he ordered, and if Jack hadn't needed this oxygen so bad, he would have fought back harder. Instead he leveled a glare at Stark that probably lost most of its impact from being hidden behind the oxygen mask. "And before you try it. No. You can't arrest them."

Jack glared again but shifted to watch the two scientists placed on gurneys and wheeled away. A third gurney arrived, and Stark gave his usual smug grin before standing up and offering Jack his hand.

"Up you get, Carter."

With a heavy sigh, Jack reached up and let Stark pull him to his feet. He managed a couple of steps before he was pushed down onto the gurney, surprised when Stark walked alongside him as he was wheeled to the infirmary. Jack was expecting a cursory examination, an order to spend the next hour breathing oxygen, followed by permission to go home and take a few days off. Instead he woke to a night-time darkened infirmary with something hard in his throat and taped against the side of his mouth. He could hear a rhythmic hiss that coincided with his lungs filling and emptying.

Moving his eyes only as he glanced to the side, he saw Stark, who was seated beside Jack's bed reading notes from a tablet PC. The light from the screen cast shadows across the man's handsome face, revealing smudges of fatigue beneath his eyes. Jack glanced down to see a crisp sheet and what Jack called a space blanket pulled up to mid-chest, and he realized he was wearing one of the thin infirmary gowns that did nothing for his masculine pride. He didn't recall getting undressed and he reached up a shaky hand to pull at whatever was in his mouth, starting to panic as the soft beep above his head began to increase in tone and urgency.

A hand closed round his gently drawing it aside, and he stared into the green eyes hovering above his.

"Jack, you need to calm down."

The hand maintained its grip and the eyes held his steadily, silently asking for his trust. Jack flicked his eyes to the side at the sudden movement from another person moving into his line of sight; his eyelids began to feel heavy as a drug was introduced to the port hanging in his peripheral vision.

"Just a mild sedative," someone said.

He was so tired his eyes closed, falling back to sleep accompanied by the rhythmic hiss of the ventilator and Stark's low voice asking questions, as always.

When he next awoke it was still night time and he followed the instructions to cough as they drew out the tube, replacing it with an oxygen mask. Only then did Jack recall that he was in a flimsy infirmary gown. He looked around but could see no sign of his uniform - or his gun.

"Where's my gun?" he choked out hoarsely after dislodging the mask, blinking when Stark merely raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Are you planning to shoot someone?"

Jack glared at him, silently promising that this someone would be Stark if he didn't answer the question; he heard Stark sigh.

"Lupo locked it away safely."

Stark picked up a glass from the bedside and pressed the straw against Jack's dry lips. He let Jack take a few long sips before taking away the cool water and replacing the oxygen mask. Jack shoved it aside again, ignoring the soreness in his throat and chest.

"Why... are you here?"

Stark pressed the oxygen mask back in place firmly. "Because someone needed to watch over you, and as I was already working late, I could do my work just as easily here as in my office."

Jack nodded, too tired to look for a flaw in the logic or to argue. "Okay." His eyelids were so heavy still and he let them close. Just for a minute, he thought. When he opened them again it was morning, and the chair beside his bed was empty. His chest felt a lot better, as if he could breath in deeper and stronger. The doctor came over, smiling warmly.

"How are you feeling today?" He asked, and Jack could hear the unspoken words, ' _compared to yesterday_.'

"I don't know. How was I feeling yesterday?"

"You couldn't draw breath. We had to intubate you. Do you remember?"

He couldn't remember being intubated but he could recall waking up with the tube down his throat... and he remembered Stark had been there with him. Something about working late.

"So when can I leave?"

The doctor grinned. "We're going to keep you in for another twenty-four hours under observation."

Jack groaned. "Really?" 

He gained a pat on the shoulder before the doctor exchanged the oxygen mask for a nasal cannula and walked away, leaving him with nothing to do but stare up at the ceiling. Eventually he slept again, only waking when he heard voices above him. It wasn't Stark, and Jack was unsure why he was so disappointed not to see him again during the rest of his enforced stay in the infirmary, especially as he had a string of other visitors, including Allison, Henry, and Jo.

His best visitor was Andy, but only because his deputy brought a clean change of clothes and the news that he was allowed to go home.

Jack was surprised when Andy drove him to the bunker - until he realized that Allison must have moved out with the kids after deciding Jack needed SARAH more than she did. He had to admit that Allison had never truly felt at home there, missing sunlight filtering through the bedroom window in the early morning. She wasn't too keen on SARAH either, especially after the whole BRAD incident a few years earlier. Though mostly Allison had simply wanted them to move to a bigger house, saying there were not enough rooms in the smart house for their expanding family, especially when Zoe came home at the end of each semester to spend part of the holidays with her father.

"SARAH, door," he ordered hoarsely, and sighed as he walked into the empty smart house with Andy following on behind.

"Welcome home, Sheriff. My sensors indicate that you are tired and should rest. I have saved last night's game for you. Would you like to relax on the couch and watch it?"

"Sure, SARAH."

Jack waved Andy his permission to spend a few minutes with SARAH before his deputy headed back out on duty. He sank down onto the couch and let his head fall back as the screen lit up, but he was asleep before the teams walked out onto the field.

When he woke some time later, the lights had been reduced to ten percent. Someone - probably Andy - had removed his shoes and put his feet up on the couch, and he had a warm blanket thrown over him and a pillow beneath his head. It took a moment longer to realize it was not just his shoes missing but his pants too, and another moment after that before he realized he was not actually alone. Jack looked across the room, surprised to see Stark sitting at the other end of the couch, fast asleep with his head tipped back and his tablet computer almost slipping from his lax fingers.

"Star...?" Jack cleared his throat and tried again. "Stark?"

Grabbing the pillow from behind his head, Jack threw it, grinning when the perfect shot hit its intended target and Stark woke with a start. Stark glared across at him before reaching up to rub at his sore neck.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked. "And if you say working late, I'm going to go get my gun."

Stark straightened. "Allison asked me to check in on you." He stood up slowly, obviously stiff from sleeping in an awkward position. "As you're obviously fine, I'll be off now." Stark raised his voice a fraction. "SARAH, monitor him as you would Allison."

"Yes, Doctor Stark."

Before Jack could even offer a begrudging thanks, Stark was gone, leaving Jack more confused than ever.

***

True to his word, Stark never pursued Allison even after he learned of her separation from Jack. Instead, he seemed more interested in commiserating with Jack, almost as if both of them being Allison's ex-husbands gave them some unbreakable bond of brotherhood - or something. Jack was undecided yet whether it was a good or a bad thing, especially as that bond never extended into the halls of G.D. There they snarked and fought as if they had never been apart, with Jack issuing threats to report Stark to the D.O.D. for safety violations, and Stark entertaining himself at Jack's expense by pointing out all his intellectual failings.

Business as usual in other words, except with a less malicious intent. The barbs from Stark were never as sharp or cruel as before, and Jack knew his own threats were more out of concern for Stark's safety rather than a means to exert some control over the genius pain in his ass.

"Perhaps if you kept your pet scientists on a tighter leash, I wouldn't need to come out here to clean up their mess."

"And where would be the fun in that, Sheriff?"

"Fun? You think this is fun?"

He glanced down at the goo splattered across the front of his uniform shirt, looking back up in disgust as he felt some more of the goo now sliding down the side of his face. Jack froze when an obviously amused Stark leaned forward and brushed away the sliding goo with his fingers. A sudden thought struck Jack.

"Please tell me it's not toxic," he asked.

"Relax, Carter. Don't be such a baby. You could bathe in it and you'd be perfectly safe."

Jack narrowed his eyes and trudged away, deliberately flicking off more of the goo as he walked.

"Carter!"

Sighing heavily, Jack turned.

"Café Diem at one. Don't be late."

Although, by rights, Jack had no claim on Kevin and Jenna, he found himself spending at least one afternoon a week with Allison's kids. The only downside was having to share that time with Stark too. Allison had thought it would be better if they shared custody as Jenna had only ever known Jack as her father, and Kevin was a typical teenage boy who needed time to forgive Nathan for his three year absence from his life.

Nathan. Yeah, not always Stark anymore, Jack thought. It was Nathan when they were _off duty_ , even if that phrase was meant in name only. Jack had learned over the years that neither of them had the luxury of being completely free of their jobs unless they were far, far away from the town.

"Oh yeah," he murmured to himself, heading straight to the bunker so he could wash and change, for once grateful that it was Nathan's turn to pick up the kids from Allison.

The shower soothed away the tension in his shoulders and neck, and he lathered up his hand to soothe away another form of tension, wrapping his fingers around his slowly filling cock. For some reason he'd been feeling hornier lately, as if his body was flooding with sex hormones or something, like puberty all over again. He tried to focus on images of beautiful women, and even a few gorgeous guys he'd met in his time but it wasn't until he remembered the touch of Stark's fingers brushing his face that he felt a massive jolt of pleasure rippling through him.

"Oh, what the hell," he murmured, and let the image play out, deciding it had to be better to get that out of his system before he spent the whole afternoon in Stark's company.

He threw his head back as the pleasure overwhelmed him, feeling it rush through his entire body, setting him tingling from head to toe. The water rinsed away the evidence as he sagged back against the warm tiles, and as an image of Stark smiling played behind his closed eyes, Jack cursed softly.

"I am so screwed."

When he finally got out of the shower, he found a text message from Kevin waiting for him. It had a taken a couple of long talks before Kevin stopped blaming his mom for Jack leaving, but at least, of the three times he had run away from home over the past month, twice had brought him straight to Jack's door and once to Nathan's. Jack wasn't sure if he could handle another fugitive-style hunt to bring Kevin back if he ran away from Eureka altogether. He'd gone through that hell a few times with Zoe before he figured out that all she had truly wanted was to be with him.

He read the text: _Don't forget the park._

Jack sent a text back to Kevin saying, _Lunch first_.

The plan was to meet at Café Diem for lunch before they all headed out to Copernicus Park, where Kevin wanted to try out his latest souped up hoverboard.

Surprisingly, Jack arrived at the café first. Ignoring the queasiness in his stomach that had been going on for some days now, Jack grabbed the kids' favorite booth, and he looked up upon hearing his name called excitedly. He plastered on a smile as Kevin slid in opposite, already talking about his hoverboard and the speed he expected to reach. Meanwhile, Jenna clambered up onto the bench seat next to him with a wide smile and hands reaching for him instantly.

"Hey, kiddo," Jack said as he let her plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Nathan slid onto the bench seat opposite and Jack noticed a momentary flash of envy. He knew it would be a monumental waste of his time trying to placate Nathan, even though he was sure Jenna would offer those same hugs, kisses and smiles to her real dad eventually. She just needed time to get to know Nathan better.

Vincent walked past, with the aroma of whatever he had cooked for Zane wafting along with him, and Jack's stomach lurched. He grabbed a glass of water and took a couple of deep gulps as his stomach threatened to turn inside out.

"Jack?"

"Um," he managed. It wasn't working, and he struggled out of the seat. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

He dropped Jenna into Nathan's lap and hurried to the washroom, pushing into a stall at speed and dropping to his knees over the bowl. He dry heaved once but now he was here he didn't exactly want to throw up. Jack sucked in a few deep breaths. Vaguely, he heard footsteps behind him and jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

Jack raised a hand to indicate that he was fine, turning until he had his knees drawn up and his back to the bowl.

"You went as white as a sheet."

"Maybe that goo wasn't so safe after all," he said, even though he'd been feeling unwell for days before the goo event that morning. Jack felt a little guilty at the slightly stricken look in Nathan's eyes. "Nah. I was feeling a little queasy when I woke up this morning. Must have been something I ate yesterday."

"Told you, you should let SARAH do the cooking," Nathan remarked with a sarcastic tone, but his eyes still showed his concern.

"I need some fresh air. You mind if we get out of here? Go to the park without eating first?"

"Sure. I'll ask Vincent to pack a picnic lunch."

"Nothing too spicy, or dairy, or..."

"I get the picture. Come on." He held out a hand and Jack grasped it, letting Nathan pull him to his feet.

The rest of the day went by without a hitch and by the time Jack had said goodbye to Nathan and had dropped Kevin and Jenna back home, he'd completely forgotten how bad he had felt earlier in the day. Unfortunately that didn't last, and over the course of the next few weeks, Jack found he had to cut coffee, pizza, cheeseburgers and some other firm favorites - including beer - from his diet unless he wanted to puke his guts out.

Of course Jo started mocking him, calling it phantom pregnancy syndrome because Allison had gone through some tough bouts of morning sickness during her first trimester. She was at the end of her second trimester now, and definitely showing her baby bump.

His baby, he thought with a grin.

He had to admit that Jo had a point. He could recall feeling a little green around the gills while Abby was pregnant with Zoe, but as long as Stark didn't pick up on that and start mocking him too then he could cope well enough. At least no one else was showing signs of being sick to the stomach or he might have given in to the temptation to ask Allison to check him over, fearing some G.D. created pathogen on the loose in the town. It wouldn't be the first time.

No zombies yet, thank god, he thought, deciding to ignore the whole Mummy incident.

He barely had time to ponder over his strange health problems any way as there was always something going wrong up at G.D. that pulled at his attention.

Over five months had gone by since Stark's return as joint head of G.D. and the latest incident was a laser light show that would have been really cool if the lasers hadn't started to slice and dice everything they hit. Jack threw himself across the desk, rolling twice before fetching up against the lab bench, and hissing at the pain lancing across his arm where he'd been a fraction too slow. The power generator was just out of reach and the lasers were managing to draw on the renewable energy source, growing more dangerous with each passing minute. Already the walls in the corridor beyond the lab were scored and soon even they would melt under the powerful laser.

Jack could see the connecting socket and knew that all he had to do was dislodge it to cut off power to the laser. He drew his gun and aimed, firing three times in quick succession until the light show went out and the lab filled with welcome silence.

"Carter!"

Jack raised his hand. "Here!"

Stark - because he refused to think of him as Nathan when G.D's experiments were trying to kill him - strode into the lab and knelt down beside him, reaching for the still smoldering arm. Jack hissed again, knowing the stupid polyester of his sheriff's uniform had likely melted into the wound.

"Let's get you down to the infirmary."

"What? No _thanks for saving G.D._?"

Stark grimaced and offered his hand so he could help pull Jack to his feet. Jack accepted, and as the strong fingers wrapped around his own, he wished he didn't enjoy Stark's touch quite so much, especially when he stumbled forward and ended up pressed against Stark for a moment. Dozens of confusing thoughts and sensations raced through him as he felt Stark's other hand reach to steady him, fingers accidentally splaying across the top of one ass cheek, adding more spice to the lurid fantasies of Nathan Stark that already plagued him.

Fortunately, Stark broke the latest spell a moment later.

"Getting out of shape, Carter." One dark eyebrow arched towards Jack's thickening middle that had added a little padding across his hip bones. "Too many donuts?"

Jack glared at him, pushed away and strode off, holding his arm gingerly. He had laid off the cheeseburgers and pizzas months ago - and the beer. He was running every day and using the gym twice weekly when no one else was around to bother him. He was fitter now than at any other time of his life, excluding his high school baseball playing days, and yet he was still getting fat. It bothered him, but not enough to seek advice.

At least the nausea that had followed him for weeks had finally let up as long as he stayed away from certain food groups.

He sensed Stark following him but he refused to turn round, positive he would find a smirk on those kissable lips. His stride faltered when he realized the direction his mind had taken. Kissable? Fantasizing about a good looking man or woman just to get off was one thing, but thinking beyond basic sex to something far more intimate - such as kissing - was something else entirely.

Clamping down hard on his erratic thoughts, he put it all down to the pain in his arm and carried onward, ignoring Stark's continuing mild taunts about law enforcement and donuts.

***

Less than a month later, Christine Charlotte Carter-Blake came into the world with a loud, indignant cry. When Jack held his newborn child in his arms for the first time, he fell in love with her immediately.

"She's beautiful, Allie," he whispered, completely entranced by her tiny fingers, dusky cheek, and the soft gurgling noises she made. "As beautiful as her mother," he added, leaning over to kiss Allison's cheek.

It was hard walking away following each visit with his baby daughter, but he knew it was for the best, even though Allison had turned to Grant once she realized Nathan was no longer interested in renewing a relationship her. Zoe adored her new half-sister, and Chrissie's first month of life went by far too quickly.

Jack was strangely pleased when Nathan treated Jack's new daughter with the same love and affection that he showed to Kevin and Jenna. Yet at the same time it made Jack feel a little sad for Nathan, seeing this different, gentler side to a man who could still be the bane of his existence most days.

***

Another G.D. experiment gone haywire left Jack hot, short of breath, and lightheaded. He leaned over, hands to his knees as he surveyed the damage this time, trying not to cough because it tore at his gut. Stark strode towards him wearing a thunderous expression, and Jack winced as he straightened up, all too aware of the kick he'd taken to the stomach by that damned machine before he'd wrestled it into submission.

"What the hell were you thinking, Carter?"

"Oh, maybe I was trying to save liv-."

"Of all the pigheaded, idiotic, moronic, self-sacrificing, idiotic-."

"Did you just _repeat_ yourself?" Jack responded with a smirk.

"What!" Stark roared with anger, causing several people to step back quickly, and Jack was sure one of them even squeaked in fear.

"You called me an idiot... twice."

"Well if the description fits!" Stark spat back.

Jack winced again at the stabbing pain in his gut, suddenly seeing behind the anger in Stark's eyes to the fear and concern that lay beneath - and wasn't that a shocker.

"You!" Stark stabbed a finger towards some _underling_. "Get him down to the infirmary. Now!"

There were five others being treated on Jack's arrival, and he drew himself up to hide his pain, waving the doctor to check on someone else first. Carefully, he lowered himself to the edge of the medical bed and waited his turn, all the time wondering if he ought to be a little less idiotic and self-sacrificing, and call for some immediate attention. He was sure the small laceration on Fargo's arm warranted far less of an emergency, but before he could say anything, Stark strode in and immediately grabbed the doctor's attention.

"How's Carter?"

The doctor - Fensing - glanced across. "Uh, I haven't checked him over yet."

"Why not?"

Looking flustered, Fensing called over a nurse to finish cleaning and running a device over Fargo's arm, and moved quickly to Jack.

"Sheriff? Any pains?"

"Yeah, no. Maybe."

Fensing arched an eyebrow. "Where?"

Jack glanced up at a stony-faced Stark and sighed in resignation. "I took a hard blow to the gut."

"Okay. Remove your shirt, lie down and let me see."

Embarrassed, because every attempt to regain his washboard stomach had failed miserably over the past few months, and he really didn't need the mocking right now, Jack shrugged out of his singed uniform shirt. A quick glance showed Stark frowning at Jack's definitely rounded stomach. Jack lay down and let the doctor draw up his t-shirt... and then felt hands unzipping his pants.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" He tried to stop the man, totally embarrassed now.

"Don't be such a baby, Carter." Stark was his usual annoying self, and Jack hated the smirk and raised eyebrows as Stark pointedly looked at Jack's stomach. Oh yeah, he could see more mocking in his near future.

Jack hissed as Fensing pressed down in several places. He didn't miss the frown that lined Fensing's brow or the sudden tilt of his head that just screamed WEIRD to Jack; he'd seen that same tilt too many times to count over the years spent in Eureka. A quick glance showed Stark with that same tight expression and furled brow.

"I want an ultrasound. Stat," Fensing ordered.

A handheld machine was brought over and attached to the monitor beside his bed. Jack yelped when Fensing dropped a splodge of freezing cold gel on his stomach; Stark had obviously found that amusing judging by the tilt of his lips. Jack gritted his teeth as the doctor moved the device across his skin, looking away in the hope of retaining at least a little dignity as Stark continued to smirk, no doubt congratulating himself on his own washboard stomach. Jack snapped his head back when the device clattered to the floor. Stark was there instantly, grabbing up the device and pressing it back against Jack's lower abdomen, eyes intensely focused on the monitor.

Regaining his composure, Fensing cleared his throat and pointed a trembling finger at the image, which Jack couldn't see.

"There's a tear... here. We'll need to operate. Immediately, if we're to save-."

"Do it."

"Hey! Wait! Don't I get a say in this?"

Stark looked down at him. "No."

Jack cursed under his breath. "I really should have read the small print," he murmured, recalling all the times he'd ended up as a human guinea pig because of his damn contract.

"Should we tell-?" The doctor started but Stark interrupted.

"No. Not until I have answers to all the questions he's bound to ask."

"What questions?" Jack yelled as Stark turned to walk away. "Stark! Nathan!" 

Stark paused and Jack saw him draw in a deep breath before turning. He walked back and grabbed a chair, sinking down so he was no longer towering over Jack. More worryingly, Stark reached out and took Jack's hand, holding tighter when Jack made a pathetically feeble attempt to pull his hand away.

"Jack. I need you to trust me on this."

For all their fighting and snarking, Stark's serious words and expression struck home, that and the fact that he'd used Jack's name; and Jack realized that he did trust Stark... Nathan.

"That is so unfair," he whined softly, and gained a begrudging smile from Nathan.

"Yeah. I know. I'll be here when you wake up."

Nathan squeezed his hand gently before standing. He nodded to the doctor, and whatever non-verbal communication passed between them, left Fensing equally serious and professional as he ordered his staff to prep Jack for surgery. A glance to his side saw Fargo looking on in shock and unconcealed worry, the cut on his arm forgotten.

Moments later the drugs began to take hold and Jack's world blurred and faded as he fell into unconsciousness.

****

With his eyelids still too heavy to raise, Jack listened to the voices above him, trying to make sense of the conversation. He recognized Nathan's voice, and was that Henry, Fargo and Allison as well as Doctor Fensing?

"Gestation?" Allison asked.

"Twenty-five, twenty-six weeks. Incredibly... it's viable." That was Henry.

Viable? Jack wished they would speak non-geek so he could understand what they were talking about.

"About the same time you took over as joint head, Nathan." Henry, again.

"The explosion in section 4. Doctor Marlow's experiments on species survival," Nathan stated. "Assisted Reproductive Technology."

"ART?" Fensing exclaimed. "I hadn't realized they'd reached human trials before-."

"They hadn't." Nathan cut off Fensing's words, his own edged with anger. "Or at least, they weren't sanctioned."

"DNA?" Fargo asked. "Because the trials I sanctioned as Global's director were on chimpanzees."

"We're running it through now," stated Allison. "But it's fully human, though initial tests show the additional DNA donor was also male."

Fargo laughed nervously. "At least there's only the one. Clarence had four," he stressed, and Jack wondered who the hell was Clarence.

"Yeah. Thank god for small mercies, or he'd be even bigger."

"Nathan!" He heard Nathan huff at being admonished by his ex-wife.

Henry spoke softly. "He's awake." 

Jack inhaled the scent of Allison's perfume as she leaned over him. "Jack? Come on. Open your eyes."

They were so heavy and he struggled, gradually seeing a sliver of light.

"Not fat," he slurred.

Nathan groaned. "Stupidly it all makes sense now. The nausea, Vincent's concern when he stopped ordering cheeseburgers and Vinspressos."

Fensing interrupted. "We can't be sure of any damage from a lack of medical attention and poor diet, though both of them seem in remarkably good health all things considered."

"I have a theory." Nathan stated, and Jack blinked sleepily as he watched Nathan pull out his phone and put it onto speaker. "SARAH? Have you been monitoring Sheriff Carter's vitals?"

"Yes, Doctor Stark. As per your instructions."

"My instructions?"

"To monitor his condition as I would that of Doctor Allison Blake." Nathan seemed to share a significant look with Allison. SARAH continued. "I ensured Sheriff Carter received the recommended daily allowance of all vitamins and minerals essential for fetal development."

"I assume that proves your theory?" Allison said dryly to Nathan.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, still sleepy and confused. "Why is SARAH talking about babies?"

Two phones trilled to indicate a message received, and both Henry and Nathan checked their phones.

"DNA results are back." Henry's eyes went wide as he read the message. He turned to Nathan, and Jack followed the look, trying to focus on Nathan only to see his eyes go just as wide and shocked.

"What is it?" Jack demanded, a little stronger now the lethargy from the anesthetic was fading away.

Nathan looked straight back at Jack in awe before his eyes dropped to Jack's stomach.

"Mine!" he whispered hoarsely.

****

By the end of the following day, Jack wished he had remained in blissful ignorance. He was six and a half months pregnant with Nathan Stark's child, and he hadn't even had dinner and many, many cocktails before getting knocked up. A steady stream of visitors had all come through to see the pregnant man, all of them gaping in wonder as if this was the most amazing thing that had ever happened in Eureka.

"It's a miracle," Vince said in a hushed voice as he dropped a bag of Jack's current cravings onto the bedside table. At least now Jack knew why he was having that strange craving for orange and Ginger ice cream. Vincent leaned in and spoke with a conspiratorial tone. "Marlow's notes revealed fifteen illicit human trials, all ending in hideously deformed-."

"Yeah... let's not mention that to the pregnant man."

Vincent looked contrite but then smiled softly. "This one's perfect though. In every way."

Jack raised both eyebrows at that because... Nathan Stark? He loved Nathan's daughter, Jenna, with all his heart and had to admit that if Marlow was going to choose a perfect male specimen for her experiments based on both physical looks and intelligence, then Nathan Stark had to be close to the top of that list, along with Zane Donovan. Jack tried to deceive himself that he wasn't sure who would have been worse as the other father of the child he was carrying, but the fact that it was Nathan's seemed marginally better than the alternative. Not that he had anything against Zane. It would just make things really awkward with Jo.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Vincent asked hands clasped together excitedly.

Jack sighed, surprised the details were not all over town by now. "It's a boy. Something to do with me having only a Y chromosome so it didn't matter what else was added."

"Paul and I would love to start a family."

"I'll be sure to ask Henry to put you at the top of the list, once they've ironed out all the reasons for the previous fifteen hideously deformed-."

Vince pulled a face that was part horror, part disappointment, making Jack feel bad. "Point taken. I'd best be off now."

"Hey, Vince?" He called softly, waiting for Vincent to look back. "Thanks."

Vincent smiled and bounced away. As much as he loved the people of this town, he was starting to feel a little frayed around the edges so he was relieved when Fargo arrived and instantly started ordering away the people still hanging around outside.

"That's it everyone. Time for the pregnant man to get some rest."

"Real delicate, _Fargo_."

He had a headache spiking, and he groaned when Allison, Henry, Fensing and a couple of others, including Nathan entered the poorly-named isolation room just off the infirmary, that he'd been placed in for so-called privacy. Surprisingly, Nathan stayed well back, leaning against the wall stiffly as if he had no intention of being a part of whatever discussion was about to take place.

"Jack. You need to make a decision," Allison stated quietly.

"About?"

"Whether to abort or try to deliver the fetus."

"Abort? What's wrong with him?"

She blinked. "Nothing. It... He's perfectly formed, and healthy for his gestation age."

"Then why abort?"

A quick glance showed Nathan looking slightly relieved by Jack's confusion.

"You're not exactly... I thought you might not want..." She took a deep breath. "That still leaves the option of delivering the baby and placing it... him into neo-natal care."

"An incubator?"

"Yes."

Fargo waved a hand to attract attention. "Or you could try taking him to term."

"Fargo," Allison cautioned, eyes blazing.

"What? I'm just saying, the chances of the baby surviving increase with every week he's left... in there." Fargo pointed to Jack's stomach.

Allison shook her head. "Men were never designed to carry babies. The medical risk to Jack increases with every-."

"We've been fine so far," Jack stated loudly before they could argue any further, only to have Allison round on him.

"You were hit in the stomach, Jack. The blow ruptured part of the membrane wall-."

"Which was repaired," Fensing added.

"But it remains a potential weakness. Five of the monkeys used in the initial tests died through ruptured membranes."

"But each of those monkeys was carrying more than one fetus. All of those carrying only a single fetus completed the trial successfully, giving birth to live young." Fensing stated. "Yes, it's a risk. But then any pregnancy carries a risk, as you should well know, Doctor Blake. With careful monitoring..."

"And a little less of the self-sacrificing and idiocy," Nathan mumbled, gaining a glare from most of the people in the room including Jack, though likely for different reasons depending on the person giving the glare. Jack a feeling that Nathan had promised - under duress - to remain an observer at this meeting, but when had he ever managed to stay out of things? His theory was confirmed seconds later when Allison rounded on him.

"If you insist on interfering then you will have to leave the room, Nathan."

Jack frowned. "Why?"

Allison frowned. "Because he has no say on the outcome of this."

"Allison. I may be the... mother in this production, but I've been a _father_. I'd want to have a say in my kid's future."

Jack hadn't truly noticed the tension in Nathan's tall frame until it ebbed away with his words, as if he had expected Jack to refuse him any say in what happened. It seemed weird for Jack to be on the maternal side of the equation, and he couldn't inflict all the same small hurts on Nathan that he'd received from Abby and more recently, Allison.

"Nathan." He waited for Nathan to look up at him. "You asked me to trust you, and I do."

Nathan nodded and took a step further into the room. "Another month or two could make all the difference. Give him a fighting chance."

"Okay."

Allison shook her head and turned away, looking to Henry for another opinion.

"Allison?" Jack called to her softly, not wanting her to walk away angry.

She looked back and sighed, bowing her head for a moment before returning to his side. "Oh Jack. I'm here for you too, you know," she said, paraphrasing his words from a few months ago back at him. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "But you do realize you're going to have to go on either desk duty or extended medical leave until after this baby is born."

"What! You never said..."

"You can't take more risks like today."

He huffed in annoyance, but knew he'd been just as protective over Allison, not wanting her at G.D. towards the end due to the number of experiments that went wrong on any given day. "Fine. When can I head home?"

Allison smiled. "I need you to remain here on enforced bed rest for another three or four days, give our repair work time to heal before you put additional strain on your body." He saw an evil glint in her eyes. "After that, as Nathan wants to play daddy so badly, he can move into the smart house with you. Keep you out of trouble."

"What? No!" He sighed at the unrelenting stare, sighing heavily when even Henry shrugged with one shoulder. "You're all _so_ mean."

She patted his arm, smiling. "Get some rest, Jack. I'll be back later tomorrow with the kids."

They all filed out except for Nathan, who lingered by the door for a moment before moving forward to take the seat by Jack's bedside.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice.

"What? No bad taste in your mouth?"

"No. Not this time."

****

Jack hadn't expected Nathan to be waiting for him when he was released from the infirmary four mind-numbingly-boring days later. He'd thought Allison was issuing more of a threat than a promise when she said Nathan had to move in with him. It wasn't as if SARAH couldn't look after him for the most part. However, when presented with a choice of heading back to the infirmary or getting into the passenger side of Nathan's car, Jack gritted his teeth and climbed in. Out of uniform, so technically off duty, he put on his seat belt and looked for a suitable handhold, preparing for the worst of Nathan's driving. 

Nathan surprised him by keeping well under the speed limit, and smirking at Jack's confusion as his white knuckled hands lessened their grip on the dashboard after a few minutes.

"I'm not completely irresponsible, Carter." Jack looked across in time to see an evil smirk as Nathan continued. "Not when I have the _mother_ of my unborn child in the car," he added, the smirk growing into a wide, smart-ass grin that annoyed Jack immediately, even though Jack knew that comment about being the _mother in this production_ was going to come back and bite him in the ass eventually.

He'd already had to deal with Nathan mocking him over his thickening waistline with donut jokes, and he suspected there would be even more ridicule to come once everyone got over the fascination of seeing a pregnant man. Why did he always end up looking like an idiot? Nathan was chortling now, obviously enjoying this latest disaster to befall Jack.

"Yeah? Well, it's not too late for me to change my mind," he replied sourly.

His words wiped the smile off Nathan's face. "Don't even joke about that."

Jack looked away in embarrassment, feeling a stab of guilt because he'd already fought one battle to give this child a fighting chance at survival. The mocking for this latest experiment-gone-wrong would be no worse than what he had already endured from other embarrassing situations and snide remarks over his average intelligence. He would willingly lose a little more dignity if it saved the small life growing inside him. He waited until Nathan had pulled up outside the bunker and cut the engine before speaking. 

"I'm sorry. That was a crappy thing to say."

Nathan looked hard at him as if searching for something before nodding his acceptance of the apology. He got out, frowning a little when Jack pulled himself out of the car without waiting, and his lips tightened when he noticed Jack wincing a little at the awkward movement that pulled on his stomach. Rather than hovering, Nathan respected Jack's personal space, letting him walk down the stairs to the bunker door unaided.

"SARAH? Door."

"Welcome home, Sheriff Carter, Doctor Stark. Doctor Blake has ordered light physical activity only, so I have taken the liberty of taping several major and minor league games in your absence, as well as documentaries, movies and television shows that Doctor Stark might find entertaining."

"Thanks, SARAH." 

The house was warm so Jack shrugged out of his baggy sweater, feeling momentarily self-conscious even though an equally baggy t-shirt hid the roundness of his stomach. Someone had dropped off a few larger sized t-shirts with various university logos adorning the front, including the one he was wearing now that was from MIT - Nathan's alma mater if Jack recalled correctly. He moved slowly towards the stairs, picking up some paperwork he had dropped on the steps haphazardly a few days ago in his rush to get to work that day. Nathan hovered behind him.

"You should sit-."

"I'm pregnant, Nathan. I'm not an invalid," Jack stated as he slowly moved into the kitchen area next, wincing at the absurdity of his own words. Jack knew that him being an invalid was debatable as he was likely the world's first pregnant man; he expected an argument so he was surprised when Nathan took a deep breath and then agreed with him.

"No. You're not." 

"Glad we got that straight."

Nathan leaned up against the counter and watched Jack, making him feel self-conscious as he cleared away some more papers he had left lying around. He hadn't been quite so tidy after Zoe left for Harvard, no longer having to set an example for his daughter. Eventually, the eyes staring into his back got too much for him and he turned around.

"Why are you here, Nathan? And don't tell me you're following Allison's orders because we both know that'll be bull."

Nathan's eyes dipped to Jack's middle and Jack sighed hard in annoyance, scrubbing both hands through his hair hard before turning away. It was obvious that Nathan was here for the same reason Jack would have been here if their positions had been reversed. If anything, Jack should have understood better than most because he had seen Nathan accept Kevin as his own child, and Callister, and now even Chrissie, and Jack had seen how Nathan was trying to be a real father to Jenna too, regretting all those lost years.

 _This child_ was different. Jack knew that this time Nathan had seen a chance to be there from before his son took his very first breath; a chance to see his son's first smiles, hear his first words and witness those first tottering steps. For all of Jack's issues with Abby and the time he lost when their marriage broke down, he'd still been around for many of those early milestones with Zoe, and he planned to be there for Chrissie.

For that reason alone, Jack knew he couldn't deny Nathan that same joy of fatherhood.

He turned back to find Nathan watching him, face impassive as if he was already sure Jack would order him to leave, snatching away that chance from him.

"Well, if you're going to stick around then you can make yourself useful." Jack pointed to the glass of juice on the far side of the counter that SARAH had poured out for him. Walking away without waiting, Jack settled onto the couch in his favorite spot. "SARAH? So what have you got for me?"

Nathan joined him a minute or so later, obviously taking time to compose himself before handing over the glass of juice. He settled within a few feet of Jack with barely a murmur of irritation at having to watch Jack's favorite sport, though when Jack glanced across at him a little while later, he was not surprised to see Nathan fast asleep. It hadn't been the most enthralling ball game so far and Jack could feel the weight of the day pulling down on him too. What did surprise him though was the strong feelings that swept through him upon seeing Nathan so vulnerable in sleep. It softened his heart towards the other man, and he decided not to leave Nathan on the couch in that awkward sleeping position, knowing he'd wake up tomorrow with a stiff back and neck.

"SARAH? I think we'll head to bed."

"I believe that is a wise decision. Both of you require rest, and you especially, Jack, in your condition."

"Yeah. My condition," he groused. "You know, SARAH, you could have of, oh, I don't know... said something about my condition earlier."

"As both of you were in good health and you were eating a balanced diet, I was not aware that it was an issue. You asked me not to mention anything to do with babies."

"When did I-?" Jack sighed, recalling his order, though at the time he'd meant it half-heartedly in reference to Allison's impending motherhood, not wanting to know all the gory details.

The TV screen went dark, and only the soft snuffles of Nathan asleep broke the silence that descended. Jack reached across and poked him hard in the ribs, sniggering at the snort from Nathan as he startled awake.

"Bed. You can take Kevin's room."

It was the room where Lexi had slept when she came to Eureka on that fateful day in another timeline; the same day his Nathan Stark had sacrificed himself to save the whole universe. And wasn't it like Stark to make even his sacrifices the biggest deal... ever. Not just saving a person, or the town, or even the state of Oregon. No. He had to save the whole damn universe.

After Lexi moved out and Allison moved in, it had seemed a better option to give that old guest room to Kevin, putting Jenna into Zoe's old room so Zoe could still share when she returned on university breaks.

Jack realized he had a new dilemma only moments later. Trying to rise from the couch made him hiss in pain but, once more, Nathan was on his feet with catlike grace, and standing over Jack with his hand offering assistance. This time Jack reached back without hesitation, and if Nathan did follow him up the stairs with a supporting hand at his back, Jack simply pretended not to notice.

"Good night," he murmured, stepping into his room and closing the door firmly behind him. He listened carefully, and eventually he heard Nathan's footsteps move on down the hallway towards Kevin's room.

Jack's dreams that night were different, though still erotic in nature, and likely fueled even more by Nathan's presence in the bunker. He whimpered as fingers dragged over his skin, followed by moist lips kissing and sucking, slowly working their way down his body. In his dream, he felt the brush of Nathan's beard against his skin, adding to the onslaught of pleasure filling him as a mouth as clever as that big brain of Nathan's finally reached its goal. Jack sobbed in his sleep as the hot mouth descended over him, feeling himself drawn into the wet heat and tightness, thrusting slowly, carefully in rhythm with Nathan until he was right at the edge, needing just one more lick or suck or touch to send his senses spinning into ecstasy.

He moaned and begged, and when that touch finally came, he cried out, waking up from the dream in a wet mess with the sound of someone banging at his bedroom door.

"Carter? Jack? SARAH. Override-.""

"No!" Jack frantically straightened the covers just in case Nathan barged into his room. "I'm fine. Just a dream."

The silence lengthened and Jack only relaxed when Nathan finally spoke from behind the still closed door. "Okay. Good night, Jack."

He waited until he had heard the footsteps receding down the hallway before sighing.

"This is bad. Really, really bad," he murmured.

He couldn't afford to harbor strong, lust-filled desires for Nathan while the other man was in his house, because they couldn't possibly be returned. As far as Nathan was concerned, he was just the body carrying Nathan's unborn son; no more important than a shopping bag and, likely, just as easily discarded once the goods - their son - was taken out.

Using the wipes that SARAH provided, Jack cleaned up and sank back down into his bed, drawing the covers over him. It was the end of yet another hellish week in Eureka, and Jack wasn't sure how many more of these he could take before he was completely used up.

****

At the end of the first week, Allison allowed Jack to go back on duty, manning a desk only. The next few weeks passed with remarkable ease. As weird as it sounded, he and Nathan quickly fell into a domestic routine of making and eating meals together, talking about their day, before watching TV or reading until Jack was too tired to stay up any longer. Jack had thought having Nathan around would be a real pain in his ass but he discovered they had a few more things in common than he'd anticipated - like a love of truly terrible science fiction and horror movies, and bad cop and forensics shows where they could tear both the science and police procedures to pieces.

"Oh, come on!" Jack threw a handful of popcorn at the screen as the cop in this latest movie made a rookie mistake. "No cop would run into a room without checking first, and definitely not without drawing his weapon." The zombie grabbed the cop and tore out a chunk of flesh. "Gross!"

Nathan merely sighed and grabbed another handful of popcorn.

He had taken it upon himself to drive Jack to the Sheriff's office most days on his way to G.D., with Deputy Andy bringing Jack home each evening as Allison refused to allow Jack to drive himself for some unknown reason that Jack wasn't prepared to argue over. It wasn't like anyone had stopped _her_ from driving when she was heavy with Jack's little girl, he fumed, and said as much to Nathan during a lull in the zombie action.

"Allison is a woman, and it wasn't her first baby."

"That's just sexist and... and... other'ist" Jack couldn't even think of a decent made-up word to describe the second part.

After raising both eyebrows in disbelief as he mouthed the made-up word, Nathan answered, "No. That's reality."

The movie ended and Jack shifted on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position that supported his aching back. He glanced across as Nathan reached for his ever-present datapad and some reports, wondering if he could bribe Nathan into giving his feet another massage anytime soon.

The biggest problem he was facing now - other than the boredom of paperwork - was the fact that just over 35 weeks after getting impregnated by Marlow's species survival experiment, this kid inside him was already the size of a small elephant and just as heavy footed. He winced as ' _Jack Junior_ ' kicked or punched him again, feeling yet another sudden urge to use the bathroom that disappeared just as quickly. And that was the problem. Jack had lost sight of his feet, and more importantly his dick, which made relieving himself just a little bit more of a challenge, in more ways than one.

He was incredibly horny but couldn't get a decent grip on himself, and the wet dreams featuring Nathan were not as satisfying as having a real hand on his dick. Probably because he knew that it would never be more than just an erotic fantasy playing out in his mind. After snapping at Nathan for the third time that evening for what had to seem no apparent reason whatsoever, Jack saw Nathan close his eyes and smile tightly. Nathan pushed aside the reports he'd brought home to go over and sat up straight, looking directly at Jack.

"Okay. What is it, Jack?"

"Nothing." Jack rolled his eyes because he was sounding just like Allison when she was pregnant, and he cursed the hormones that were driving him crazy.

"Jack."

"You really want to know?" Jack rounded on him. "I can barely reach round... _this_ ," he poked at his stomach, "to piss in the bowl straight, and I haven't been able to jerk off in a week."

Despite his more olive complexion, Jack could see the heat flush in Nathan's cheeks. "You need help with that?"

Jack stared hard at him in shock before blinking in confusion. "Wait. Let me get this straight." He gave a harsh laugh. "Straight. Yeah, right. Doctor Nathan Stark, triple PhD, and Nobel Laureate, who is as... _straight as a fucking arrow_ , is offering me a hand job?"

"Straight. Really? I do recall telling you I swing a lot of things that would surprise you, Jack."

The words momentarily stunned Jack. "You... You're... You're telling me _now_ that I could have had... _that_ weeks ago?"

"I didn't think you were interested in men."

Jack frowned. "I thought you'd read my file. I haven't exactly hidden my bisexuality."

"I... I only read the parts pertinent to the job. The rest was redacted by the D.O.D. and I seriously didn't care enough back then to hack the file. Later, it just never occurred to me." His voice lowered to a whisper. "I thought I knew you."

Jack sighed, recalling that weird conversation with Allison after he'd tried to take a look at his own file and found most of it blacked out, joking that he'd probably have to kill himself for knowing too much about his own life. It had never occurred to him that even Allison and Nathan would need special permission to read his whole file.

"So," Nathan stated, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against Jack's mouth before drawing back, surprising Jack.

Jack licked his lips, suddenly torn because here was Nathan offering him his wet dream come true.

Nathan gave him that boyish, smirking grin. "Did I break you already?"

When he leaned in again, Jack met him halfway, and was stunned by the shock of pleasure rushing through him as the kiss deepened. He felt soft curls running between his fingers, only then realizing he'd reached out to grab hold of Nathan's hair, to stop him from pulling away as they devoured each other, tongues dueling and mouths crushed together.

Of course it would have been far more torrid and romantic if Jack hadn't needed to take the stairs slowly and carefully, holding tight to the railing on one side and to Nathan on the other. But there was no way his first time with Nathan was going to be groping on the couch like a couple of horny teenagers. He wanted a bed. A real bed.

Eventually, they reached Jack's room and his perfect mattress, and that's when it struck him again that this wasn't some pick-up from a gay bar, taken home for a quick fuck before Jack did the walk of shame in the morning as he rushed away without leaving his phone number behind. This was Nathan Stark, the other father of his child, who was about to get upclose and personal with Jack's obscenely rounded belly as he went hunting for Jack's dick beneath the curve of that same, gross belly. At least he hadn't developed breasts, though given more time, he suspected Marlow's species survival experiment would have added even that humiliation to the horror show.

Jack was surprised when instead of disgust he read awe in Nathan's eyes as a large hand palmed over his distended belly.

"Beautiful," Nathan murmured, voice low and awed.

The kid chose that moment to kick, probably reacting to the pressure from Nathan's hand, and Nathan looked up at Jack in renewed awe, wanting to share the pleasure. Until that moment Jack hadn't seen anything magical about being kicked and punched in the ribs, liver, bladder and kidneys from the inside out, albeit lightly, but the wonder in Nathan's eyes made him realize that this really was a miracle of life.

The baby settled and Jack moaned his appreciation as Nathan wrapped those long fingers around his dick and began to stroke him, thumb flicking and twisting over the sensitive head with each pull. Sparks of pleasure danced along his spine and through his belly and it took only a few more strokes before he was coming so hard that his whole body shook and his vision blurred. He came back to earth with the feel of soft kisses pressing over his face while a hand rubbed possessively over his stomach.

Exhausted and sated he couldn't keep his eyes open, let alone reciprocate, but he could hear Nathan telling him it was okay as he slipped into his first restful sleep in weeks.

The following morning, he convinced Nathan to fuck him, body overloading with every long, gentle, sliding thrust over his prostate until he was flying apart, barely aware of Nathan's moan of pleasure behind him as Nathan came inside Jack.

"And we could have been doing this weeks ago," Jack murmured in semi-protest as he dozed with Nathan still buried inside, surfacing only for a moment as Nathan withdrew and discarded the used condom before snuggling back. "Clean up later," he added with a sigh as he slipped back into sleep.

When they next awoke, half the morning had gone and yet no one had called their phones.

"SARAH?" Jack asked.

"I took the liberty of informing callers that you were both resting this morning."

Before Jack could remonstrate, Nathan leaned up on one elbow. "Thank you, SARAH. Let them know that neither of us will be in today."

Jack grinned mischievously. "Are you playing hooky from the office?"

"No. Just fulfilling far more important and pleasurable obligations elsewhere."

"Obligations?" Jack's smile faltered because he'd forgotten for a moment that Nathan was only here for the baby. He pulled back. "You're not obliged to do anything-."

Nathan frowned. "No, I'm not... except as a father of this child, a friend, and if you'll have me, as a lover and partner." Nathan looked earnest. "I want this, Jack. I want you, and I want our son." He took a ragged breath. "It... took me dying to realize how much I want you."

"Then why did you leave Eureka after-?"

"Because you told me you wanted Allison."

"No I never..." Jack started in exasperation but trailed off, remembering that he was not the same Jack who had known Nathan earlier in this timeline. Despite the passing years, he was still reliving his history from a time that no longer existed. He had no idea what interactions had passed between them from the time the other Henry brought Nathan back, to when Nathan left Eureka and disappeared for several years. It had never occurred to Jack that _he_ might have been the cause of Nathan leaving, rather than Allison.

Nathan gave him one of his patent _gotcha_ smiles.

"You don't remember any of it. You thought I was dead." Nathan's voice was low but certain. "I've had my suspicions for months but..." His brow furled. "Another time line? Parallel universe?" When Jack said nothing, Nathan nodded and took it as silent agreement; he continued. "Just you or was it Allison too? Maybe Fargo because he was different, and he hugged me... and Henry looked like he'd seen a ghost when I turned up at G.D. that day. Hell, _you_ looked like you'd seen a ghost back in Café Diem that day."

Jack scrubbed a hand over his face, debating over whether he should laugh this off as pure fantasy on Nathan's part, or tell the truth. The truth won out.

"Jo and Grant too. In fact it was all Grant's fault. We got transported back to 1947 on Founder's Day by something Kevin did with some machine. Grant was back there as a lead scientist. Henry and Fargo rigged something with the phones to bring us back to our own time but Grant stole mine. I almost got left behind."

Nathan remained silent for a moment but Jack could see he was taking it all into that big brain of his and swirling all the facts around.

"Knew I had a reason for disliking that man." Nathan sighed. "Kevin? Hmmm. That makes sense. When he tapped into the Akashic Field he must have seen the temporal anomalies emanating from 1947. Somehow, he must have retained the memory even after the Artifact was removed from his head, and sent you and the others back to fix the universe. It explains why this universe is stable."

"I don't under-."

Nathan sat up. "Weinbrenner ripped a hole in the fabric of space and time. Re-syncing the photon didn't fix it, Jack, just stuck a band aid over it, because when I went out of sync, I became caught between then and something that happened in 1947." He smiled wryly. "And I'm made up of a lot more than one single photon."

Jack nodded because that actually made some sense. He listened as Nathan continued with his theory.

"The Henry in your timeline couldn't bring me back because of Grant's experiments with the bridge device in 1947. Kevin sent you all back to make sure Grant didn't continue with those experiments. He set the time line straight."

"So we're... not out of time?" Jack stressed slowly.

Nathan smiled softly, leaning in to kiss Jack softly. "No. You are exactly where you should be." _With me_ , remained unspoken but Jack felt the warmth of those words nonetheless, yet as he recalled Kim Anderson, he still had to ask one more question for his own peace of mind.

"Even Grant?"

"Yeah. Even Grant."

"So we can't send him back."

"Nope."

"Damn. I was kind of hoping..." Jack trailed off as Nathan leaned in for another kiss, deciding he'd spent enough time thinking about Grant for one day. Grant was Allison's problem now and as long as he didn't prevent Jack or Nathan from seeing their kids then it really didn't matter any longer. He settled down next to Nathan, enjoying the soft caresses that grew bolder as Nathan set out to explore every inch of Jack's body, and for the first time in months, Jack didn't mind the attention focused on his heavily pregnant body in the slightest.

****

One more week gone and Jack was more than ready to have this baby taken out of him. Not even a week of great sex with Nathan could balance the misery of aching feet, swollen ankles, backache, and the ministrations of Fensing who insisted on daily check-ups and a _gentle exercise class_ to keep him fit, which was attended by four other expecting couples. The latter embarrassment was made only marginally better by Nathan agreeing to accompany him as his _birthing partner_ , though when Nathan asked with a barely straight face if he was needed for the Lamaze breathing exercises, Jack snapped.

"And where exactly do you think I'm going to be pushing this baby? Out my ass?" Nathan opened his mouth but Jack pointed at him. "Don't you dare say it?"

Nathan backed away with eyes wide in mirth and both hands raised in surrender, while Jack tried to make a dignified exit from the class as the other expectant mothers and their partners barely held their laughter in check. One step outside the door, Jack closed his eyes as the laughter drifted out. Nathan caught up with him, not looking quite so pleased with himself now.

"Jack."

"Don't you... Jack me." He was livid. "I thought we got past all this bullshit. I thought you actually gave a damn about me after all we've done this last week."

"Jack. I didn't mean to-."

"Nathan... Whatever," Jack held up both hands, backing away in anger. "I don't want to hear it."

"JACK!"

It was one of those freak accidents that could only happen in Eureka, and with his mind completely distracted by this latest act of ridicule, Jack didn't even see the guy on the hoverboard. He felt it though, twisting round from the body blow. With his balance already thrown off by the baby, he fell hard, slamming his head against the road surface. Nathan's terrified shout of his name echoed down with him into unconsciousness.

****

He awoke to the soft beeps of monitoring equipment and a strange emptiness that made no sense until his weak and unsteady hand touched his stomach and found it flatter than it had been in months. It took a moment for the full ramifications to hit him, filling him with despair. He'd lost the baby. A shift of a chair pulled his eyes across the few feet separating him from the person sitting in the chair, and he squinted blurrily through eyes stinging with unshed tears as he tried to focus on Nathan.

Nathan was engrossed in something held in his arms, and it took the sudden flail of a tiny arm for Jack to realize that it wasn't a laptop or one of those datapads that Nathan seemed to carry around everywhere.

"Nath-." His throat was dry and little more than a whisper but Nathan's head shot up.

"Hey Max. You're other daddy's finally awake."

Nathan stood carefully and moved to the bed, using one hand to press a straw against Jack's lips while the other held onto the small bundle. The water was warm and wet, and that was as much as Jack could process as he stared at the tiny face close to his. Putting the water glass back down, Nathan held the baby boy closer still so Jack could reach up and brush one soft cheek with his fingertip. The baby grabbed at his finger, clutching it in a tiny hand.

"Max?"

"I know we didn't get around to discussing names, but you've been unconscious for two days, and everyone wanted to know." He smiled softly. "Zoe chose it. After Max Planck, a theoretical physicist who was the father of Quantum Theory."

"Not after Max Wall then."

Nathan grinned. "No. Not unless he develops the walk."

Several people bustled into the room after Nathan reached up to press a button above Jack's bed, forcing Nathan to take a step back as they checked the monitors and lines. A nurse fussed over Jack and he recalled her bright smile from some of the many trips he'd made to the infirmary at G.D. since learning he was the world's first pregnant man.

"How are you feeling, Jack?" she asked.

"Tired... and sore."

She lay her hand on his shoulder and smiled again in reassurance. He never saw the drugs injected into the I.V. port but his eyes were heavier and he focused on Nathan and his son until the darkness of sleep claimed him again.

The next time he awoke he felt stronger, and Nathan was still there but sprawled in a chair, asleep, and there was no baby in his arms. A whimper and snuffle made him glance away from Nathan's sleeping form to a familiar hospital cradle with transparent sides. Inside he saw tiny arms waving tiny fists. As he watched, captivated by the baby, he registered the whimper lengthening, changing, remembering another tiny baby and the slow build up to a wail. Zoe had been the same, and he grinned as the whimper became a cry that cut through the silence of the room, snapping Nathan awake. Jack watched as Nathan fumbled with one of those Eureka-style milk bottles that self heated to the perfect temperature almost instantly, waiting until Nathan was about to pick up their son before speaking.

"Can I feed him?"

Startled, Nathan looked across at him and smiled broadly. Moments later, Nathan had raised the bed and helped Jack to sit upright, before he placed the hungry, wailing baby in Jack's arms and handed him the bottle. He sat back down beside Jack and watched, reaching out to stroke a velvet soft cheek as their son suckled greedily.

"Zoe's on her way back from the bunker. She got in from Harvard late yesterday. She should be here soon."

Jack smiled. "Zoe was a surprisingly good baby. Started sleeping through from midnight until dawn at just a few months. Not like those horror stories I heard from some of the other marshals. I used to take the midnight shift so Abby could sleep."

He had always loved those quiet moments with just him and Zoe - father and newborn daughter - and had hoped to repeat that experience with Chrissie until it proved impractical following his separation from Allison.

"You're more than welcome to take them again," Nathan murmured as his hand moved from their son to Jack, fingers dragging across Jack's stubbled cheek and chin. He tilted Jack's face up and leaned in to kiss him softly before pulling back a fraction. "I'll take the dawn shift," he added.

Jack nodded, looking back down at the baby in his arms only to have Nathan catch his face in his hand again.

"Meant what I said, Jack. I want our son... and I want you."

"Okay." Jack replied, smiling because within those words and in those intense eyes he heard a promise and a declaration of something far greater than simple want. And it didn't surprise him in the slightest that he felt the same way about Nathan too.

****

**Thirteen Years Later:**

"Papa!" Max swatted away his father's hands and Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm thirteen. I can dress myself."

Jack grinned as usually he was the one Max yelled at in exasperation but he understood Nathan's fussing all too well. M.I.T. was still one of the best universities in the world and Max had insisted on going there even though Eureka had amazing opportunities. Max was every bit as clever as his Papa, and he and Nathan had managed to put it off for two full years already because they hadn't liked the idea of letting Max go to university so young, but Max had a maturity that Jack had lacked at that age - and still lacked according to Nathan.

Zoe grinned and turned to Jack, hugging him tightly. "Don't worry. I'll watch over him, dad."

"I know you will, sweetheart."

They had only agreed because Zoe and Lucas, and Jack's grandson, lived together only a thirty minute drive from M.I.T. and they had offered to look after her half-brother during term time. School breaks would be taken back in Eureka with his fathers. Nathan wrapped his arm around Jack's waist, sighing and leaning in as Jack reciprocated, and Jack wondered if he was reliving memories of those thirteen years - bringing Max home to SARAH with Nathan moving in and staying through the good times and bad that followed. He recalled bickering happily with Nathan over Max's first word, and over who should be called Dad, though Jack won that argument by default as he was already _dad_ to Zoe and Jenna. Other moments with Max assailed him; Max's first steps, his first day at school, winning the science fair. Throughout it all, he'd had Nathan by his side and in his bed, shocking some people who never thought they'd make it through the first week without killing each other, let alone thirteen years.

Jack thought of their other children. Kevin was working on projects at G.D. under Zane's supervision, and Jenna had elected to stay in Eureka a little longer to study despite being just as clever as her half-brothers and parents. Chrissie was level in intelligence to her half-sister Zoe according to the I.Q. tests, and Jack was convinced they both had their clever mothers solely to thank for that even though Nathan thought otherwise. She would get into any school she chose once she'd decided what she wanted to do with herself, though judging from her obsession with criminal forensics from a very early age, Jack had a feeling she would join law enforcement - like her dad.

"He'll be back before we know it," Nathan said lightly, though Jack knew it was to reassure himself as much as Jack.

"Yeah, and usurping you as head of G.D. soon after, I bet."

Nathan had taken over as sole head of G.D. when Henry retired four years earlier.

Nathan's arm around Jack tightened. "I can live with that."

Max had taken more than a dozen steps away from them, heading towards the main entrance, but then his steps faltered and he turned around. He looked at them hard, as if committing them to memory, before racing back to wrap himself around both of them. Jack kissed his hair, light brown like Jack's but curly like Nathan's, though strangely Max had Jack's blue instead of Nathan's green eyes. It was one of those anomalies from the way their DNA had combined, overriding some of the usual dominant/recessive properties that Jack barely understood. Jack had a feeling he would be tall like Nathan too as he was already up to Jack's shoulder.

"It's okay, kiddo," Nathan murmured warmly. "We're just a video chat away any time you need us."

Max sniggered. "Just make sure Dad remembers to answer in audio only when he's in the shower."

"Hey! That was one time!"

"Love you, Dads, Sis," Max stated and pulled away, glancing over his shoulder once more before disappearing inside the building.

Zoe insinuated herself between her father and step-father, taking their arms in hers and drawing them away.

"Come on. I know a really great Italian restaurant not far from here. Not as good as Café Diem but it serves the most delicious Eggplant Parmigiano."

"Is that anything like a cheeseburger?"

"No, dad."

Nathan was grinning and rolling eyes in mock resignation, and they both looked back just once more before climbing into Zoe's car. It was another mile marker in the road they traveled together, and Jack knew the road still stretched out ahead of them as far as he could see. He grinned across the top of Zoe's head at the man who had become his husband, lover, partner and best friend as well as the father of his youngest child, looking forward to the rest of their journey together.

END

Full size copy of this gorgeous art by **SUNRYDER** can be found at the link in the notes above!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for "The Art of Science"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/687848) by [sunryder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunryder/pseuds/sunryder)




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